Research

The central theme of our research program is to understand interactions between molecules and nanoscale objects for assembling functional materials. We are particularly interested in molecular and colloidal assembly, the collective properties of nanoparticle ensembles, and the biomedical applications of assemblies.

Nanoscale Building Blocks for New Materials:

Self-assembly is ubiquitous in nature, from the crystallization of snowflaks to the for mation of galaxies. Particularly, self-assembly in biological systems leads to remarkably complex structures (i.e., virus) which far surpass traditional materials in both design and functionality. The organization of nanoscale objects relative to one another and to larger structures is vital for their utilization in energy, optoelectronics, sensing, and biomedical applications. Inspired by

Microfluidic mimicking of biological tubules for studying pharmacokinetics and diseases:

Tubular structures such as vascular vessel, renal tubules and salivary ducts operate important machinery to not only enable materials (i.e., nutrition, oxygen, waste) to move quickly throughout the organism, but also prevent the formation of deposits or blockage. Reconstruction of tubular tissues in vitro offers a new scenario of opportunities in the areas including implantable organs or devices, drug and toxic screening, and cell biology. We reprogram and culture cells (i.e., kidney proximal tubular cells, and salivary gland ductal cells) overall the wall of microfluidic devices to generate lumens with circular shapes and functional polarized monolayer. Using this in-vitro model, we conduct a new line of research directed towards: i) the real-time observation of kidney stone formation; and ii) the study of nano-carriers cross vascular membranes during drug/gene delivery. (Lab Chip 2012,12, 4037; Bioanalysis, 2012, 4, 1509).